December 18, 2015 [Brian Albrecht, The Plain Dealer]
CLEVELAND, Ohio – A “Mission Complete Celebration” for a home in South Euclid that was renovated and sold at a discount to a Northeast Ohio veteran will he held Saturday.
This second local project in South Euclid that partnered Purple Heart Homes, a national nonprofit group founded by two disabled veterans of the war in Iraq, with the city of South Euclid and the Cuyahoga Land Bank.
Leo Robinson, of Elyria, a Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, will get the house at 4121 Harwood Road that was provided by the Cuyahoga Land Bank and renovated by a small army of volunteers this year. Robinson will pay 50 percent of the home’s appraised value.
The project for Robinson and his two children involved building a new garage, laundry, second-floor addition and bath, and a basement rec room with a full bathroom.
According to Purple Heart Homes, Robinson has limited use of his hands and legs, and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury as a result of his combat deployments. He uses a therapy dog, “Kota,” for support during seizures and stress attacks.
The celebration honoring more than 200 volunteers, donors, suppliers and supporters of the project will include a lunch at 11 a.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 4386 Mayfield Road, in South Euclid. Keynote speaker for the event is retired Marine Maj. Gen. David Richwine. The public can attend the luncheon by calling in advance, 
(216) 313-3032.
“This is about the veteran and the community and how they come together,” said Howard Goldberg, Purple Heart Homes chief real estate officer. “No one deserves a safe, well-built home to live in, more than those who volunteered to protect our way of life.”
Goldberg said that some of the major contributors to the project in financial and material support include the Home Depot Foundation, Electrical Contractors Association, the John G. Johnson Construction Co., a local carpenters’ fund, plus the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donors.
A third Purple Heart Homes project is planned for South Euclid and Goldberg said persons interested in supporting that effort and the group’s stated mission to “improving veterans’ lives one home at a time,” can call the number listed above.